Police Discover A Mass Killer's Secret Hideout

Is there any people in there. trafficking? You want to hold him in the basement or. what? He's. on the tape. Oh my god, come in here. The back door is unlocked. This is never. unlocked. This door is open right here.

This is not. normal. This is Sarah Evans. She's just found. the body of her good friend Benny King. covered in blood inside his own home. The killer, however, was nowhere to be. seen and every witness they had blamed. somebody different. All I know he was a skinny guy about 6. ft 6 5 black. With a a young guy. He said it was a. young white guy. Did you talk to him down there? [laughter]. She's been taking all his money. Weeks later, another murder happened.

across town in exactly the same fashion. They now had a serial killer on their. hands and they had to do everything they. could to figure out who it was and where. they were hiding out before they killed. again. It wasn't me. [laughter]. It all started on April 8th when Akron. police received this phone call.

Akron 911, what's the location of your. emergency? Oh my god. [laughter]. What's the problem? What's the problem here? I don't know. Ma'am, is he breathing? No, I don't know. I'm not up there. Oh my god. Immediately, police rushed to the scene. Someone help. Mhm? Someone help. Come in here.

No, go. Will you go hang out over there for us. so you can have room to work here? Did I bring you the blood pack? You did. The ground floor had been ransacked, but. it was the scene [music] upstairs that. had terrified Sarah. Upstairs lay her. good friend, [music] 69-year-old Benny. King, and cops would find that he'd been. stabbed 33 times. What's that, bro? Where's his injuries at? I don't know. I I have not touched him.

Okay. I All I did was touch him to see if he. was stiff. But he's stiff and cold. So, we're calling it obvious. 10-22. Yeah, I'm not going to move him. We'll let the head meet. Initially, the cops had no idea what. could have possibly happened to Benny, but as they explored the house more, a. clear picture would slowly be painted of. exactly what had happened. His bed was absolutely soaked in blood,

and his walls were covered in it, too. Police presumed that Benny had been. attacked in his bedroom before he. crawled into the hallway begging for his. life, where the killer finished the job. The majority of the cuts were to his. head, neck, and upper body, but there. were a few wounds on his hands as well, indicating that Benny had courageously. tried to fight back. The police don't. know this yet, but in just a few weeks, this exact scene would be found across. town in an identical murder. For now,

though, what police found in the kitchen. was even more bizarre. Any idea what? Can't find anything? I didn't dig around too much there. I'm. really not going to. Well, cuz the the. way you called it, said that all these. cabinets in the kitchen are open, and. she checks on them on a regular basis. and said, "I don't know why that would. be. like that.". Like someone was in here looking for. something. Like all the cabinets here are open. [music]. I mean, who does this? Oddly though, nothing seemed to have. been displaced or stolen. Something very.

strange is going on. So, the cops turn. to the person that discovered Benny's. body, Sarah Evans, who had some crucial. information that would start to spiral. this case into a complex mystery. Was it the back door that you found. found open? No, the front When I come back from. lunch break. This door was locked. Okay. And when when I called you is when I. come back up, the front door was. unlocked. Okay, so you were actually here this. morning at at. 11:30 and you spoke to him then?

No, I didn't see him. I thought he like. would lay down take a nap or drink. And then you came back a little bit. after 1:00 and that's when you found the. door open. Yeah, it was unlocked. Okay. The back door was unlocked, too. 11:45. Does he usually keep. keep his doors locked? Yeah. So, I said he locks it when he goes to. take a nap, but as soon as he gets up in. the morning, he unlocks it. Was the dog how when when you got here? No, the dog was. in his chair. Okay. In his chair when I come in the door. And that's why I knew when I seen the. stand open and the dog in the chair.

Detectives then asked Sarah if she could. think of anyone who had any issues with. Benny. That's when she mentioned two. brothers, Justin and Johnny, who were. often seen visiting Benny. Sarah also. told them that they had ongoing problems. with Benny and were sometimes seen. fighting with each other. In fact, their. most recent argument resulted in Benny. chasing them off his property with a. shotgun. Justin also was on the lookout. for a way to make money fast. So, it's. rumored that he'd stolen something of.

Benny's and pawned it, causing all these. arguments. Police figured they finally. had their suspects, but that's when. Sarah mentioned a suspicious vehicle. that had been spotted outside Benny's. house right around the time of his. death. That was up through here. Mhm. Earlier today, this morning I guess. It sped away. How long ago was. back. I don't I know it was earlier this. morning. It come back and sped away. again. He said it was a younger white. guy driving.

Who said that? It's a guy. I can't tell you because. he's in trouble. He's got warrants. He. doesn't. What are both his warrants for? I don't have no I have no idea. So I'm. I'm just giving you the information I. was given. Okay. This seems like vital information, but. the only guy that sights is quite. literally on the run from the cops with. outstanding warrants. So the officer. tries to see if he can strike a deal. Okay. Well, tell you what. There's a. a detective coming, okay? I understand. your your friend has has some warrants.

Mhm. Um. if it's possible that we can guarantee. we're not arresting him, not doing. anything, would would you guys can go. ask him if he would want to talk to us. then? Ordinarily a fugitive would never agree. to a deal like this, but because Benny. was such a nice and respected guy in the. neighborhood, he comes outside just a. few seconds later to tell the cops. everything he knows. How's it going, guys? How's it going, brother? I was out here on on my friend's porch. and I saw this. goldish old older style Hummer, big body. Hummer, Mhm. speed away from over here. I don't like.

I didn't hear no noises like gunshots or. anything. Okay. About what time was what was that? Uh. Mhm. 10:30, 11-ish. I was up here at. Maybe 12. I was up here at. Okay. No, it had to be like. I was up here at 11:30. Okay. to be about 10:30 or something. Okay. So so between 10:30 and 11:00 you. guys. her screaming about something and all. this happened. Okay. Then she discovered that. I've not seen that vehicle. You've never seen that car around here, nothing? Did you Did you happen to see.

who was who was driving? A white male. Okay. Blondish short hair. Short. Kind of crew cut like yours. Okay. I would say anywhere from his mid-20s to. early 30s. He sped around the corner so. fast his tires were squealing and. [ __ ] hell. If the car had shown up around 12:00. that night, that's right in between. Sarah's two visits to Benny's house, the. exact window where Benny was murdered. And with how the car was allegedly. driving, it really does seem as though. this Hummer has something to do with. Benny's murder. They just need to figure.

out who was inside. And conveniently, a. neighbor overheard this conversation and. told the police that he knows a man in. the neighborhood that drives a Hummer. exactly like the one described. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the guy's. real name, only his nickname, Jaybird. You're just assuming Jaybird. Right. connected to a Hummer. Correct. You don't know. Right. I don't have any personal. knowledge about that, but I know that.

I've seen him many times with a. With a Hummer? Hummer. What color? Uh black like that. He's got it. Does he. Does he go like that? You So you've seen Jaybird. driving this goldish. Before, yeah. Okay. It sounded like this Jaybird was a prime. suspect, but nobody on the scene right. now was able to tell them his real name. But before they're able to figure it. out, they're confronted with a fourth. suspect, and it was the last person that. anyone had expected. This is Benny's.

daughter, Patricia, and as soon as she. showed up on the scene, she seemed to. already have her mind made up about who. the killer really was. Benny's daughter. I want to follow up with this. He passed. away. But uh. Did you talk to [ __ ] down there? [laughter]. Let me say this friendly. That lady down there. has been paying his bills.

[snorts]. And she's been taking all his money and. not paying on his bills. So the gas bill. I have not yet paid. So you don't have a bill. So, I don't have a bill to say cuz she's. not giving him the bills. She's keeping. them. She's for She is writing on the. receipts what she is supposed to pay. versus what she really paid. [snorts]. And this has been going on for over 3. months. So, she's been working on it for. 3 months. He's never had a bill that he. never paid in full until. this lady down the street decided that. she was going to help him. She took it.

upon herself to help him is by taking. his money. That's right. She's talking about Sarah. Apparently, since she's taken over. paying Benny's bills, they've all either. been late or underpaid. Patricia is. certain that she's been stealing money. from Benny this way. And in fact, she. thinks she might have stolen even more, too. And his money better still be in there. cuz I know exactly where it's at. What where? It's in a cabinet in this kitchen in a. coffee book.

I found. Yeah. Yes, she did. There ain't a body found in there no. more. I'll be right back out with you.

It's It's okay. Was it in there? No, it was in a container like this. It was in here. So, whoever did this knows exactly where. he hid his money. And she's one and Johnny, those are the. two that come down here. Those two are. the suspects. I'm telling you there's nobody else. Them two. Everything is starting to fall into. place. It now makes sense why the. cabinets were flung open. Whoever killed.

Benny was looking for money. And that's. not even the biggest revelation the cops. are about to have, not even close. Currently, they have four suspects, and. any one of them could be their killer. Each one of these could take days to. interview and process, but with every. hour that passes, the killer is getting. closer to finding their next victim. Luckily, after talking to another. neighbor, they were given some vital. information that cut down their search. just a little bit and sent them in the. direction of one man in particular.

They were able to discover that Justin, one of the suspected brothers from. earlier, had a nickname, Jaybird. The. money, the gun, the drugs, the Hummer, everything was lining up, and in the. cops' minds, this could definitely be. their killer. So, to ensure they had all. the information possible, they started. interviewing his brother, Johnny, so. that when they got around to Justin, they'd have no trouble getting him to. confess. All hell, probably afternoon, I took my. dog over there. Uh-huh. So, he could see him. Me and my wife.

did. I had her take dog around back. Then I brought the dog in for a couple. minutes he could pet it. He got pissed. off about something, so we left. What uh. what did he get pissed off about? He did. What did he get pissed What was he. pissed about? he's got, he don't like no other dogs, you know what I mean? Being around his. little dog cuz he's afraid the dog's. going to eat him. Uh-huh. Do you Do you go over and see. him quite often? Yep, sure do. Go over there and drink a. beer with him just about every day. Um so, you last saw him yesterday about. 7:30 in the evening or. Yeah, with him.

What's this all about? He's dead. You got to be kidding me, dude. No, I'm not. Oh my god. I got to go down there, dude. The cops figured this reaction to be. genuine, and as they talked to him more, they became certain that Johnny didn't. know anything about the crime. But, that. doesn't mean his brother is innocent. In. fact, what Johnny is about to say. actually makes the cops even more. suspicious. Uh who is Justin? Brother. Okay, when would have seen him later. than you had you had?

No, he ain't a lot he ain't been a lot. around down there. If somebody said they saw him down. there, that wouldn't be true? I don't know. I'm I When I go down. there, my brother ain't there. Usually, Johnny and Justin would go and. see Benny every morning at around. sunset, and that's been the case for the. last 3 years since his wife passed away. Johnny can't think of a reason for. Justin to be down there so early, especially not on his own without. telling him. Johnny was even able to. provide some extra details about the. disagreement they had recently, proving. to the cops just how heated it had.

gotten between them. He told look, get away from my house, don't you ever come back again. He said, I've loaned you money four or five times. on this bull junk stuff that you bring. me. I'm on a fixed income here. I can't. just keep. giving. He physically pushed him? Oh, yeah. Yeah. By this point, the cops had already. heard all they needed to hear. 19 hours. later, they managed to track down Justin. and would bring him in for. interrogation. Justin was left in the. interrogation room for around 45 minutes.

before the interrogation began. This is. a tactic used among many others to make. Justin feel as uncomfortable as. possible. [snorts]. Hey Justin. You are arrested for those warrants we. talked about. Um. you got four warrants on you. How do you. know him? What is your relationship with. him? Did you kind of take his stuff? My brother, um he was more or less like. a stepfather pretty much.

How so? Stupid stuff that he gave me a dollar or. a cigarette or something to eat or you. know what I mean? I lived next door to. him there for four or five months. You. know, I had a warrant which I went did. my time and got it all taken care of, you know what I mean? If you're asking did I kill him, well, I. did not. Seems rather straightforward from. Justin's perspective. He had exactly the. same nice things to say about Benny and. doesn't seem stressed out or anxious. about being here. He's leaning forwards.

towards the detective instead of. instinctively pulling away. He's. maintaining eye contact when he can and. his tone seems deliberate and genuine. Everything about how he's presenting. himself as relaxed as though he's just. trying to give the detectives what they. need and get out of there. But. unfortunately, just saying you didn't. murder someone isn't enough for the. cops. So, they decide to confront him. with the evidence they've gathered. against him. Um, so we talked, you know, we talked to. everybody in the neighborhood except for. one person that they said he banned from.

the house. Wasn't me. [laughter]. Oh, yeah. Is that over money or what was that. about? Uh, yeah, it was over money, but uh. No, I was with my brother at at his. house. My mom told you he was very. familiar with five of his children. Okay. He told my brother to tell me. Sorry. Did he say anything about a shotgun? Yeah, he did. He told my brother, he's. like, "I should take my shotgun down.

there for a couple of. twins in his ass." He said that. Brother. he said. He stole my. god damn cash. He never had a problem giving me money. or anything like that before. I had all. his pockets. He was a good guy. Thanks. I cared more about him than that. Justin was banned from the house and. there was an argument over money, but it. doesn't seem like he held that against. Benny at all. But, the detectives find. this strange. All the signs pointed.

towards Justin being the killer, but now. he seems like he had no issues with. Benny at all. But, they've still got. their main piece of evidence though. His. Hummer was seen at Benny's house on the. morning of the murder. That had to mean. he was lying this whole time, right? Uh, you drove or used to drive a Hummer. Hummer. Do you ever drive a Hummer or anything? In the neighborhood? Not at all. Did you ever work on a Hummer? Never had one. Always had a car. Do you know anybody that uh. [clears throat]. No. If you watch any interrogation where a.

guilty suspect is confronted with a. piece of valid evidence, their reaction. is always very stiff and short. They try. and deflect it immediately by saying no. and explaining exactly why that could. never be the case without showing a hint. of emotion. Justin is an ex-convict that. works various handyman jobs jumping from. place to place. He doesn't need to. explain why he doesn't own a $40,000. SUV. His facial expression when he's. asked alongside the way he laughs and. jokes naturally about the concept is. enough to tell the detectives he was.

telling the truth. They still didn't. want to discount him completely as a. suspect, but they did figure that if he. wasn't the killer, then he might at. least be able to help them out. So, they. asked who he thought might have been. responsible, and his answer was someone. they were very familiar with, Sarah. She knew she took things, rent card to. the bank, food stamps. That's what my. brother was telling me on the phone the. other day. And he thinks that [music] she might.

have something to do with it. So, if. I point a finger, I'd probably check her. for sure. Of [music] course, he's talking about. Sarah, and he's accusing her of exactly. the same thing Patricia did earlier. And. in fact, John had even mentioned this in. his interview earlier that day, too. Anybody in that neighborhood or anybody. have any problems with him or give him a. rough time? uh what's called down the street there? Who's that? Uh, I'm trying to think of her name. She. lives down at the end of the road. She'd. go over there, take his money for bills.

welfare at a corner store, and was. supposed to pay on all his bills. Well, come to find out, she ain't been paying. the full amount on your bills. She's. been only paying a half. And I went over. there one day. He said, "After all I've. done for that bitch.". Did they reconcile it all or. No, he. He said, "Look, you're a thief. Get the. [ __ ] out of my house. Don't ever ask me. for another dime.". Quickly, the cops are starting to. realize that Sarah wasn't the wonderful, trusted member of the community that. they'd assumed she was. Now, three.

people have claims that she was. exploiting Benny's trust to steal his. money, and all are saying that she could. be the killer. To make matters worse for. her, she's also the only person left. that knew about his money stash in the. coffee can. Things are getting extremely. complex, and the cops have already. worked tirelessly for days now. And the. problem is the longer this investigation. goes on for, the longer the killer is on. the loose, meaning the higher the. chances that they might kill again. So, now 6 days after Benny's murder,

detectives bring in Sarah for an. interview. It was imperative that they. either catch the killer right now or get. new information that brings them. straight to them. They don't, then. they'll have no suspects, no leads, and. a murderer at large. We know that. you called 911. We've got the the. recordings, so we'll listen to that. Uh we understand that you would pay his. bills. Mhm. Yeah. Tell us about that.

Well, that's where we got in a dispute. I needed to pay the bank his bill. When. I went there, I only had $40 on me. I. needed to borrow it to go ahead and get. that money. I paid him back his $40. That's why I'm still still around. Then you broke up there. Yeah, but we made up. Yeah. In the interview, similarly to Justin, Sarah doesn't deny the disagreement. between them and fully admits that she. took some money from him to pay his. bills. But again, they seem to make up. and become friends again. This time. though, the detectives aren't buying it.

Not when so much is on the line. We're hearing two different sides of. what we're talking about. We're hearing. what you're telling us, but we're. hearing from his daughter and. what his best friend's telling us. Now, we've been hearing that. that he banned you from coming to his. house. He didn't want you paying his. bills or anything like that. So much so. that the owner of the store called him. to say, "Hey, she's scamming you.". So, you're telling us that is not true. That's not true. That is not true.

I went up there I didn't go up there. until I had the $40 I had to pay them. Sarah is saying that all she took from. Benny was $40 and she even paid it back. It's just been blown out of proportion. as she wasn't able to get in contact. with Patricia and Johnny to clear her. name again. It's suspicious, but the. detectives aren't going to get anything. more out of her on this front. So, they. decide to ask her some more background. questions. Usually, these don't end up. solving the case, but this time one of. their questions provoked an answer that. seriously piqued their interest.

There's a lady that I was smoking. She. had like silver hair, long hair. This is true. Let me ask you this. Is. that your daughter? She's my daughter. Yes. Yeah, that Yeah, that's your daughter. And she doesn't live there with you. Do you have any other children? Yes. Do any of them live with you? No. The audio we received from the police. department is censored here, but Sarah. tells the cops about her other kid, a. boy named Jason. A boy who had just. gotten out of prison. Where is he now?

He just got out of prison last night. How long when did he get out of prison? He just got out last night. What was he in jail for? Um robbery. Would your son be capable of doing so? Oh god, I would pray not. No. I would pray not. According to the detectives, when they. asked this question, Sarah tensed up and. seemed extremely closed off. She inhales. sharply and her whole body jumps when. they bring up this possibility. As far.

as the detectives are concerned, whether. intentionally or not, she just told them. there is a possibility. That's all. they're able to focus on, and it all. makes sense, too. She knew about the. coffee can full of money, so what if. she'd accidentally mentioned that to. Jason? He just gotten out of prison for. robbery, and it'd make complete sense if. he saw Benny as an easy target and. decided to try and steal his cash. That. could even explain the Hummer, too. It. was a nice car that Jason might have. jacked and used to get in and out of the.

scene quickly. Instantly, the hunt for. Jason began. But, no matter how hard. they tried, they just couldn't track him. down. But, that's when some new. information came to light. [music]. Information that would change. everything. An inmate of the prison Jason was. staying at had contacted police after. hearing about the crime, claiming that. he knew who the perpetrator was, and. promised to reveal it to them in an. interview. So,

Paul, you told one of the deputies you. got some information about. homicide. That's about the old lady that got. stabbed. Uh-huh. Yeah, his mom found the body. And then I. heard him and his mom arguing on the. phone. But, it wasn't supposed to go that far. Because she always going over to the. house cleaning up what she'd been doing. up for years. Mhm. Everybody in the neighborhood knows he. did it, just nobody is speaking on it. I. don't know why. The inmate said he'd heard Jason and.

Sarah talking about the murder on the. phone after Jason thought he'd hung up. The cops now had no doubt in their minds. who their new number one suspect was. And by this point in the investigation, it's likely Jason's cash was starting to. run out. They had to find him as soon as. possible before he got the chance to. kill again. But, unfortunately, they were already too late. I called police and my auntie.

Hi. My name is George Ballis. I'm down in. Florida now, but my father's still up in. Akron. We haven't been able to get a hold of. him, and some of his neighbors got a. hold of me today, too, and said they. haven't seen him since Saturday. They said there were some people over. there they didn't really recognize. All right, so we have it in, and we're. going to get someone over there to check. it out, and then um we can give you a. follow-up call. Police quickly initiated a welfare check. on George's father, Gary Ballis. When. they arrived, they knocked on the front.

door, and after receiving no response, the officers forced entry through a side. door. Gary! Akron Police! Gary, it's Akron Police! Gary! On Thursday, May 21st, Gary Ballis was. found dead. It was obvious he'd been.

dead for a few days, and given the. abundance of stab wounds, it was ruled a. homicide. An investigation would turn up. very little information, except for the. fact that Gary's car was missing from. the driveway. So, next, they started to. talk to his neighbors to see if they. knew anything about what had happened. Akron Police!

Just wondering if I could talk to you a. couple seconds about your neighbor. behind you. Uh-huh. When's the last time you saw him? When he left, I guess. Was anybody there with him? Um he came over here. Oh, yeah? and knocked on the door. What did he say? He came over to pick flowers out of the. yard. Purple ones? Uh lilacs. Did Did he have anybody with him when he. was there? He came over [clears throat] here by. himself. Did he have the car there Tuesday? I don't remember. I was I was over here. Right. Do you remember Do you know what. kind of car it is? Uh blue station wagon.

Like a Subaru? Yeah. Anybody else live here that might have. seen him? Um. my just my kids were here with me. Have you seen your neighbor lately? Gary? Yeah. No, uh. last time I saw him was like 3 4 days. The car was there when she took the. flowers over, do you remember? been there for over a week. A week? You want to step out here for 1. second? So, Gary Gary is deceased. [snorts]. What?

It's looking suspicious, that's why I'm. asking you these questions. He hasn't. mentioned anybody, you haven't seen. anybody, you haven't heard any fighting, so. All right. Obviously, then maybe it was somebody. who's come here before. It's a little odd for Gary's car not to. have been at his place for over a week, especially given Gary was still home. There's a chance that this family could. be misremembering, but the cops got. exactly the same information from each. of the other neighbors. Hi, sir. Sorry to bother you so.

Yeah, I'm. Okay. Um. are you familiar with the um older. gentleman that lives at the blue house. across the street? Yeah, that's Gary. Gary? Yes, sir. That's Gary. What's um. He's a neighbor. Used to help him out. Used to babysit. his uh wife. When's the last time you seen Gary? Uh. a couple days. Couple days? Yeah. Like he was out cutting his grass.

Do you remember what day that was? Uh. that was last Thursday. Yeah, last Thursday. I remember that on Monday. Monday? Yeah. He was [clears throat] out there cutting. his grass. Is he frequent cutting his grass? Was something wrong with Gary or. Um we were investigating an incident. like over there. Oh, okay. The only issue was not a single one of. the neighbors could tell the cops who. might be driving that car. Gary did have. visitors over somewhat frequently, but. they never used his car. If the cops. could figure out where the vehicle was.

and who took it, it seems like they'd. have a pretty sure shot at finding the. murderer. And that's when they talked to. this couple who claimed they've seen a. new guy around his house recently. Actually, he's actually. Excuse me, has anybody ever been over to. talk to you guys here? No. Okay. You know, I called I called the police. out here yesterday and they didn't even. let me go in there. I don't have a match. What did you call them yesterday for? Because I haven't seen him since. Saturday and it's not like him to leave.

town and not tell me anything. You haven't seen him since Saturday? Yeah, nobody answered that door. Did you say you guys are positive though. it was Saturday he was cutting his. grass? Yeah. Have you seen the guy with the cane. before? No, never seen him before. Was he um white or black? White. You said he was younger? Yeah. His car wasn't there? No, his car hasn't been there since. Sunday. Okay. But soon the cops were able to put. together exactly what had happened. It. turns out Gary was never in that car.

with the other man. When his car pulled. out of his driveway for the last time, Gary was already dead. But at least they. had a description of who they thought. the murderer was. And even better, just. a short time after, the cops received. word that his car had been seen at a gas. station on a surveillance camera. Unfortunately, the camera quality was. too poor to properly make out his. identity, but at least the cops now know. without a shadow of a doubt that if they. find that car, they can find the man.

that killed Gary. But it turns out. someone had already done that for them. An unnamed witness came forward and told. them that he'd seen that very car and. knew precisely who it now belonged to. Jason came over. Saturday morning. He was going to help. me work on the house I'm working on. Do you know Jason's last name? Shockley or I can't I don't even know. how to pronounce it. It's something like. that. Anyway, he came over, but I had to. go to Harbor Freight because I needed a.

grinder. And so I I told him I said, "I. got to go to Harbor Freight." He said, "Oh, I'll take you." And I said, "Wait a. minute, Jason." I said, "I'm not getting. in no hot car." I said, "Is that car. hot?" He said, "No, the car's not hot. Uncle Willie, no, I wouldn't do you like. that. The car's not hot.". The car this man is talking about is. Gary's Subaru. But more importantly, he. just mentioned the name of the man they. believe killed Benny, Jason Shockley. This was a shocking breakthrough in both. cases. Not only have they essentially. just solved Gary's murder, but now.

they're hot on Jason's tail and have. more evidence than ever to try and track. him down. Back on the scene, they'd also. noticed that Gary's credit cards had. been stolen. And this guy's story even. lines up perfectly with that, too. He said, "My friend let me use it. He. went to Florida. He gave me a credit. card, told me to keep gas in it, and I. can buy cigarettes and buy me something. to eat if I needed it." I was kind of. like not believing it, but he said, "No, Willie, I swear.". It almost seemed too good to be true. So, the detectives asked the witnesses.

to pick Jason out of a photo lineup, and. he pointed [music] straight at him. instantly. Jason was now the suspect of. a double homicide. Two citywide. investigations had converged into one. Every single officer and detective in. the area knew they couldn't let Jason. take another life, so they had to act. fast and hunt him down. That's when. police received one final phone call, this time from Sarah Evans, Jason's. mother. On that call, knowing how.

dangerous he could be, she decided to. give up her own son and told the police. the address of his safe house. All right. Which house is it? It's the second one, the one on the. right, 80 87.

The house was abandoned, boarded up, and. dirty. It was unclear if anyone was even. inside, but the cops have to be. extremely vigilant as they know Jason. [music] could be armed. After clearing. the first floor, they moved upstairs as.

a group and tried to figure out where. Jason was hiding.

[music]. Only one door on this floor was fully. closed, and every other room was empty. This is where they think Jason is. Problem is, they've already made a lot. of noise, so whoever's on the other side. of that door could be prepared. That's. why they decide to storm in. Hands, [ __ ]. Hands! Hands, [ __ ].

Hands! Don't move! Roll over and put them on the top of. your head. Roll on your stomach. Hands up behind. your back. Let's go. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Hurry up, Jason. All right, I got you. Put the knife. Anybody else in the house? No, sir.

You got anything illegal on you, man? Besides the knife? No. All right, stand up. Search his pockets. Put him in the cruiser. You got shoes, black? Yes, sir. Where are your shoes at? They're underneath the blanket right. there. You can put a towel. and shake them. Yeah.

How old are you now, man? 30. I remember you as a kid over there, man, on Johnson Block, man. Yeah. Is this mail slot here? Can you get this. open, Jason? I just moved in. That would be good. I I only. call the cable company. Are you out there? Yeah, I'm right here. Here, here he comes. All right.

I don't think so. I don't think they. would know. Yeah, we need to get. Come on, man. Just as they'd hoped, Jason was found. lying amongst rubble and trash on the.

second floor attempting to hide away. from the very people who just put him in. cuffs. Thankfully, he put up no. resistance and a quick sweep of the. house confirmed he was the only person. here. Amongst the trash on the floor, [music] the officers found multiple. knives and a credit card belonging to. Gary Ballas. After 6 weeks of. investigations, they'd finally caught him. He was then. taken out of the house and into the back. of a patrol car, but there was still one. problem with all of this. They still had.

no [music] evidence that he was the one. who killed Benny all those weeks ago. Sure, the connection is strange and. multiple people [music] have accused. him, but there's nothing solid. That's. what the cops wanted to change in the. interrogation room and bring peace to. Benny's family almost 2 months after his. death. Remember, Jason is likely not aware of. exactly how much the cops know. All he. knows is that he was arrested and now. the cops are interrogating him. He might.

even think that they don't know about. the murders and that he could get away. with everything. How do you know Gary Ballas? I knew that Gary because I said my. cousin lived next door but my mom used. to go over and help him out a lot. He He used to tell me about how he hates. uh. I would post and everything. Yeah, he's a very smart guy. Man, he hates. Yeah. Hey, he he's out there. He. He's a trip. [music]. I asked him, you know, if there would be.

a possibility if he could lend me his. car so I could. That's why I would have to. work and stuff. Okay. You know, he was He was all right for a. second, you know, then he He doesn't. like people using his car and stuff. Right. He was like. I'm going to be happy. He was like, "You know, I want to see. you I don't want to see you succeed." He. said, "I don't want to see you do well.". You know, you know that I just got out. of prison. So how long have you had the car for? I had I had this car for a few days.

How long have you known him for? I've known Gary for almost 9 years. Oh wow. So you've had a long. relationship. I've stayed a night or two at his house. before. been in the house before and. Oh yeah, yeah. Yeah. Everything up until this point is mostly. the truth. He did know Gary and he had. spent some time with him recently. But. remember he was found with Gary's stolen. credit cards in his stolen car just days. [music] after he was murdered. This is.

shaping up to be a textbook. interrogation where the detectives will. have to catch him out in various lies in. order to extract the truth. And they're. about to start that process immediately. Jason, you want to tell me what happened. to Gary? Um what do you mean tell you what. happened? I have people that are that are in the. area that see. you and him together. He's been deceased. since about the same time you seen him. and you got his car and his credit. cards. He's dead. You need to tell me what.

happened. I told you. He lends me his car. For work. Why his neighbors and his son tell me. else than that he will not lend me his. car? Everybody's told me that. Well then. that's what they told you. Look, all I did was knock on the other. door. You knocked on his house and he's not. there. He's claiming that Gary had lent him his. car for work and had used the credit. cards he'd left in his car to just buy a. few cigarettes. But clearly the cops.

don't believe him. In fact, this entire. questioning segment about Gary is more. of a formality. They have much more. evidence about this crime than they do. Benny's. So their plan is to try and. have him confess to Gary's murder so. that confessing to Benny's doesn't seem. like such a big deal. It seems like a. clever strategy, but it won't work if. Jason simply refuses to admit to. anything. When you agreed to us and. agreed with us, that. it's kind of weird that you're the last. person that. Yes.

Yes. And now he's. I find that weird. I. I've seen what you guys saying with him. But at the same time, I'm not no. I'm doing. That's not us. Get up. No. Well, sometimes people don't win and. sometimes people. No. No. No. with you. No. Anybody that knows me will tell you. that's not what I do at all. If you were a jury and you heard your. story about a man who loaned you his. car, who has been known.

not to loan his car to anybody. His family says his neighbor has said. so. Cuz if you don't help yourself, this can end up really bad for you. When confronted with the cold, hard. facts, something changes about Jason. He. loses his confidence. He's fidgeting. with his hands to try and distract. himself. He avoids making eye contact. with the detective however he can, whether it be looking down at the table,

up at the ceiling, or even at the wall. next to him. He almost looks ashamed, and that's no illusion. Pay close. attention to what he does next as it. marks the beginning of a startling. confession. And even if you did wrong. and the judge and then you admit to what. happened and everything else, the judge. takes that into consideration cuz it. shows remorse. You want me to turn it off? No.

Stop. You erased the first one. I'm not erasing anything. You erased the first one. I'm not erasing anything. That's evidence. I can't do that. You erased I would say if you agreed. with us one. We'll tell you what we're. saying. Okay, this is completely off. Jason thinks that that audio recorder is. the only thing recording what he's. saying right now. Somehow he doesn't. realize the camera in the corner also.

has a microphone built in. So now that. the audio recorder is off, he thinks. he's free to say whatever he wants. He's over there. He's drinking one of these stuff. He's. talking some [ __ ] I guess I'm on. the phone with $20. He's telling me about his stuff and then. he had to leave. You know, you know what it is? It's a very. addictive drug. Okay. I'm on the phone with him. He he got me. I'm talking real crazy behind him.

I asked him to give me the receipt. So. So you know what? I got to go. Pick it up for me. And. the phone just cut back on. And. And then I went and. pulled him out and. he took his life. I pushed him down. He. dropped the knife. I dropped the knife. And he put the knife down. Back into his chair. This is a. suicide.

And when he went to reach. I stopped him. I stopped him. He was so serious. It was a textbook confession, and the. cops did an incredible job at helping. him through it and making him feel. comfortable. The [music] thing is, they. know this still isn't the whole truth, but it's all they need for now. They. could disprove his self-defense story. later in court. What matters is that he. admitted to it in some respect. Now.

[music] they can switch gears to Benny's. murder, but he's not going to make that. one as easy. [music]. We probably are going to prove that that. that you did Benny. No, they said they didn't do Benny. And you're definitely going to be. looking at a capital case. And I'll be looking at a capital case of. an innocent man for somebody out here, too. You You told us about Gary. It's like the detective Kennedy said, "The two cases are like a mirror.". So, you're you're lying about the cases. being similar. Despite just being finessed into.

admitting to murder, Jason suddenly. thinks he's the smartest person in the. room. The cases are almost an exact. mirror of each other, but Jason thinks. he can escape liability for at least one. of them. But, he's dead wrong. And see, here's another thing. You just. told us that you went through Gary's. pants. You went through Benny's [music]. pants, too. Cuz you know Cuz Benny was. known to carry several hundred dollars. in his pants pocket. That I didn't know. Oh, everybody knew. Everybody knew. I didn't. [music] So, Benny never pulled.

money out and put it in. I didn't say that. Most moms are like, "There's no way my. kid would do that.". No, she she she she knows for a fact. that I didn't do that that. I'm not saying about Benny. I'm just. saying. Your mom's. Excuse me. thinking It's impossible. You know, it's. impossible. Well, we talked to her, though. We talked to her. She said. Yeah, we talked to her. She's freaking out. And as far as me asking her if I thought. you did it, it was now hell no.

It was one of the I hope not. Jason, do you see what I mean? Listen to me, okay? I don't told you. about doing Gary, bro. But, this [ __ ] about Benny was not me. And despite all the pressure the cops. put on him, this is the story he stuck. to. It seemed he thought he could maybe. convince a jury of one self-defense. charge, but two was simply too. suspicious. But, that didn't matter, as. the cops figured they still knew exactly.

what happened. Jason knew Benny through. his mother and had heard about the. coffee can of cash. He broke in one. morning and in attempt to steal the. cash, accidentally waking Benny in the. process. They started fighting and. Jason, fearing he'd call the police, stabbed him multiple times. Eventually, Benny crawled out to the hallway where. he bled out. They also started to. discount his story about Gary's murder. They believed that it wasn't any form of. self-defense [music]. and in reality, it was simply a. disagreement. Jason had gotten.

irrationally angry after Gary refused to. let him use his car. In his rage, he. shoved him to the ground and killed him. in the same manner before stealing his. credit cards and leaving in his car. These are the theories that the. prosecution presented to the jury and as. expected, they believed them. Only one. person was charged in the murders of. Benny King and Gary Ballace. Justin, Johnny, and Sarah were all ruled. innocent, but Jason wasn't so lucky. In.

2022, he was convicted of both of the. murders and sentenced to life in prison.